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Dicamba drift complaints on the rise
A weed scientist says all eyes have been on Arkansas as farmers in the state continues to battle dicamba drift issues.
And despite some of the most stringent dicamba use restrictions in the country, the number if misuse complaints is on the rise.
Aaron Hager with the University of Illinois says off target movement is still happening. “But unfortunately we read an article by Dr. Barber just a couple of days ago where he documents and talks about how they’re still encountering thousands of acres of soybean that have been adversely impact or drifted upon by dicamba,” he says.
He tells Brownfield research shows damage can happen without exposing soybeans to the full rate of the herbicide. “We’re able to induce symptoms of leaf cupping by dicamba at rates that are say 1/20,000th or 1/30,000th of a use rate,” he says. “Which is virtually an unmeasurable amount. But yet – it highlights just how sensitive the soybean are.”
Hager says drift complaints have already begun in Illinois –and he anticipates the frequency to increase as the season progresses.
There have been 135 alleged dicamba misuse complaints so far this year in Arkansas. The state plant board will re-vote on Friday on a proposed emergency ban on in-crop use of all dicamba formulations.
AUDIO: Aaron Hager, University of Illinois
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